JP2006194921A - Pattern forming method, manufacturing method of color filter, color filter, manufacturing method of electrooptical apparatus and electrooptical apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a pattern forming method by which volume of a liquid drop ejected in a pattern forming region is determined based on wettability of the liquid drop toward the pattern forming region to improve uniformity of a pattern shape and productivity thereby and to provide a manufacturing method of a color filter, the color filter, a manufacturing method of an electrooptical apparatus and the electrooptical apparatus. <P>SOLUTION: Thickness of the liquid drop 20 from an impact surface 11a (minimum permissible liquid drop thickness H mn) when an outer periphery of the liquid drop 20 is coincident with an outer edge of the impact surface 11a, is deduced from a shape of an organic electroluminescence layer forming region S (wet width Wa) and an impact surface contact angle θa. Lower limit volume to be ejected in the organic electroluminescence layer forming region S is determined based on the minimum permissible liquid drop thickness H mn and the volume of the liquid drop 20 to be ejected in the organic electroluminescence layer forming region S is set to be the lower limit volume or more. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a pattern forming method, a color filter manufacturing method, a color filter, an electro-optical device manufacturing method, and an electro-optical device.

  Conventionally, a method for manufacturing an organic electroluminescence element (organic EL element) uses a liquid phase process in which a solution of a polymer organic material constituting an organic EL element is applied to an element formation region surrounded by a partition wall. Yes. Especially, since the inkjet method in a liquid phase process discharges a solution as a fine droplet, it can form a finer organic EL element compared with other liquid phase processes (for example, spin coating).

  However, in the ink jet method, if the volume of the droplets discharged into the element formation region (pattern formation region) is small, the droplets do not spread over the entire pattern formation region, and conversely, if the volume of the discharged droplets is large. Then, the liquid droplet leaks to the adjacent pattern formation region. That is, there is a problem in that the shape (pattern shape) of the organic EL layer formed in the pattern formation region varies.

Therefore, in such an ink jet method, a proposal has been made to reduce the variation in pattern shape caused by the volume of a droplet (for example, Patent Document 1). In Patent Document 1, the shape of the pattern formation region (the width of the pattern formation region, the width of the partition walls, and the height of the partition walls) is determined based on the diameter of the droplets to be discharged (droplet diameter). According to this, by forming the pattern formation region corresponding to the volume of the droplet, insufficient wetting and spreading of the droplet and leakage to the adjacent pattern formation region can be reduced, and the uniformity of the pattern shape is improved. can do.
JP 2000-353594 A

However, in Patent Document 1, since the volume of the droplet is determined only by the shape of the pattern formation region, the following problems are caused.
That is, insufficient wetting and spreading of the droplets and leakage to the adjacent pattern formation region largely depend on the wettability (contact angle) of the droplet with respect to the pattern formation region. For example, when the contact angle of the droplet with respect to the bottom of the pattern formation region is high, the droplet is difficult to wet and spread, and thus it is necessary to increase the droplet volume to be ejected. In addition, when the contact angle of the droplet with respect to the partition wall is low, the droplet is likely to leak out, and thus it is necessary to reduce the volume of the discharged droplet.

  Therefore, if the volume of the droplet is determined only by the shape of the pattern formation region, insufficient wetting and spreading of the droplet and leakage to the adjacent pattern formation region cannot be sufficiently avoided, resulting in variations in the pattern shape. Invite.

  The present invention has been made in order to solve the above problems, and its purpose is to determine the volume of droplets ejected into the pattern formation region based on the wettability of the droplets with respect to the pattern formation region. It is to provide a pattern forming method, a color filter manufacturing method, a color filter, an electro-optical device manufacturing method, and an electro-optical device that improve the uniformity of the pattern shape and consequently the productivity.

  According to the pattern forming method of the present invention, a partition for forming a pattern is formed on a pattern forming surface, and a pattern is formed by discharging droplets containing a pattern forming material into a pattern forming region surrounded by the partition. In the pattern forming method, the lower limit capacity of the droplet is determined based on the width in one direction of the pattern formation region and the contact angle of the droplet with respect to the pattern formation surface, and the droplet discharged to the pattern formation region is determined. The capacity was set to be equal to or greater than the lower limit capacity.

  According to the pattern forming method of the present invention, since the lower limit capacity of a droplet to be discharged into the pattern forming region is determined based on the contact angle of the droplet with respect to the pattern forming surface, Drops can spread reliably. As a result, insufficient wetting and spreading of the droplets can be avoided, and the uniformity of the pattern shape can be improved.

  In this pattern formation method, when the width in one direction of the pattern formation region is Wa and the contact angle of the droplet with respect to the pattern formation surface is θa, the apex of the droplet discharged to the pattern formation region and the pattern formation The droplet volume was set to Wa · {(1−cos θa) / sin θa} as the distance between the surfaces, and the volume of the droplet was set to the lower limit volume.

  According to this pattern formation method, since the capacity for setting the distance between the top of the droplet and the pattern formation surface to Wa · {(1-cos θa) / sin θa} is set to the lower limit capacity, It is possible to reliably discharge a droplet having a capacity that spreads over the entire width.

In this pattern forming method, lyophilicity for lyophilic the droplets is imparted to the pattern forming surface.
According to this pattern formation method, it is possible to discharge a volume of liquid droplets according to the lyophilic property imparted to the pattern formation surface, and it is possible to further improve the uniformity of the pattern shape.

  According to the pattern forming method of the present invention, a partition for forming a pattern is formed on a pattern forming surface, and a pattern is formed by discharging droplets containing a pattern forming material into a pattern forming region surrounded by the partition. In the pattern forming method, the upper limit capacity of the droplet is defined as the width in one direction of the pattern forming region, the width in one direction of the partition, the distance between the apex of the partition and the pattern forming surface, and the partition It is determined based on the contact angle of the droplet, and the volume of the droplet discharged to the pattern formation region is set to be equal to or less than the upper limit capacity.

  According to the pattern forming method of the present invention, in order to determine the upper limit capacity of a droplet to be discharged to the pattern formation region based on the contact angle of the droplet with respect to the partition wall, a droplet having a capacity that can be accommodated in the pattern formation region is discharged. be able to. As a result, it is possible to avoid the leakage of liquid droplets outside the pattern formation region and improve the uniformity of the pattern shape.

  In this pattern formation method, the width in one direction of the pattern formation region is Wa, the width in one direction of the partition is Wb, the thickness of the partition from the pattern formation surface is Hb, and the droplets are applied to the partition. When the contact angle is θb, the droplet in which the distance between the apex of the droplet discharged to the pattern formation region and the pattern formation surface is (Wa + Wb) · {(1−cos θb) / sin θb} + Hb Was set to the upper limit capacity.

  According to this pattern formation method, since the capacity for setting the distance between the top of the droplet and the pattern formation surface to (Wa + Wb) · {(1−cos θb) / sin θb} + Hb is set to the upper limit capacity, pattern formation is performed. A droplet having a capacity that can be accommodated in the region can be discharged, and leakage of the droplet outside the pattern formation region can be avoided.

In this pattern forming method, liquid repellency for repelling the liquid droplets was imparted to the partition walls.
According to this pattern forming method, it is possible to discharge a volume of liquid droplets according to the liquid repellency imparted to the partition walls, and it is possible to further improve the uniformity of the pattern shape.

  According to the pattern forming method of the present invention, a partition for forming a pattern is formed on a pattern forming surface, and a pattern is formed by discharging droplets containing a pattern forming material into a pattern forming region surrounded by the partition. In the pattern forming method, the lower limit capacity of the droplet is determined based on the width in one direction of the pattern forming region and the contact angle of the droplet with respect to the pattern forming surface, and the upper limit capacity of the droplet is determined. The pattern formation is determined based on the width in one direction of the region, the width in one direction of the partition, the distance between the top of the partition and the pattern formation surface, and the contact angle of the droplet with respect to the partition. The volume of the liquid droplets ejected to the region was set to be equal to or higher than the lower limit capacity and lower than the upper limit capacity.

  According to the pattern forming method of the present invention, since the lower limit capacity of a droplet to be discharged into the pattern forming region is determined based on the contact angle of the droplet with respect to the pattern forming surface, Drops can spread reliably. In addition, since the upper limit capacity of the droplets to be ejected to the pattern formation region is determined based on the contact angle of the droplets with respect to the partition walls, it is possible to eject a droplet having a capacity that can be accommodated in the pattern formation region. As a result, insufficient wetting and spreading of the droplets and leakage of the droplets outside the pattern formation region can be avoided, and the uniformity of the pattern shape can be reliably improved.

  According to the pattern forming method of the present invention, a partition for forming a pattern is formed on a pattern forming surface, and a pattern is formed by discharging droplets containing a pattern forming material into a pattern forming region surrounded by the partition. In this pattern formation method, the width in one direction of the pattern formation region is Wa, the width in one direction of the partition is Wb, the thickness of the partition from the pattern formation surface is Hb, and the droplets are applied to the partition. Assuming that the contact angle is θb and the distance between the apex of the droplets discharged to the pattern formation region and the pattern formation surface is H, Wa · {(1-cos θa) / sin θa} ≦ H ≦ (Wa + Wb) · A droplet having a capacity satisfying {(1-cos θb) / sin θb} + Hb was discharged to the pattern formation region.

  According to the pattern forming method of the present invention, the distance between the vertex of the droplet and the pattern forming surface, that is, the volume of the droplet is determined based on the contact angle of the droplet with respect to the pattern forming surface and the partition wall. It is possible to discharge droplets having a capacity that can be accommodated in the formation region and that can be wetted and spread on the pattern formation surface. As a result, it is possible to avoid the leakage of liquid droplets outside the pattern formation region and improve the uniformity of the pattern shape.

  According to the color filter manufacturing method of the present invention, in the color filter manufacturing method in which the color filter layer is formed on the transparent substrate, the color filter layer is formed by the pattern forming method described above.

According to the method for producing a color filter of the present invention, a color filter layer having a uniform shape can be formed, and the productivity of the color filter can be improved.
The color filter of the present invention was manufactured by the above-described color filter manufacturing method.

According to the color filter of the present invention, the shape of the color filter layer can be made uniform, and the productivity can be improved.
According to the electro-optical device manufacturing method of the present invention, in the electro-optical device manufacturing method in which a light-emitting element is formed on a transparent substrate, the light-emitting element is formed by the pattern forming method described above.

According to the method for manufacturing an electro-optical device of the present invention, a light-emitting element having a uniform shape can be formed, and the productivity of the electro-optical device can be improved.
The electro-optical device of the present invention is manufactured by a method for manufacturing an electro-optical device.

  According to the electro-optical device of the present invention, the shape of the light emitting element can be made uniform, and the productivity can be improved.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment embodying the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing an organic electroluminescence display (organic EL display) as an electro-optical device.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the organic EL display 1 is provided with a transparent substrate 2. The transparent substrate 2 is a non-alkali glass substrate formed in a square shape, and a rectangular element formation region 3 is formed on one side surface (surface in FIG. 1: element formation surface 2s as a pattern formation surface). Has been.

  In the element formation region 3, a plurality of data lines Ly extending in the vertical direction (column direction) are formed at predetermined intervals. The plurality of data lines Ly are electrically connected to a data line driving circuit Dr1 disposed on the lower side of the transparent substrate 2, respectively. The data line driving circuit Dr1 generates a data signal based on display data supplied from an external device (not shown), and outputs the data signal to the corresponding data line Ly at a predetermined timing.

  In the element formation region 3, as with the data lines Ly, a plurality of power supply lines Lv extending in the column direction are provided alongside the data lines Ly at a predetermined interval. The plurality of power supply lines Lv are electrically connected to a common power supply line Lvc formed below the element formation region 3, respectively, and supply drive power generated by a power supply voltage generation circuit (not shown) to each power supply line Lv. It is like that.

  In the element formation region 3, a plurality of scanning lines Lx extending in a direction (row direction) orthogonal to the data lines Ly and the power supply lines Lv are formed at predetermined intervals. The plurality of scanning lines Lx are electrically connected to a scanning line driving circuit Dr2 formed on the left side of the transparent substrate 2, respectively. The scanning line drive circuit Dr2 selectively drives a predetermined scanning line Lx from a plurality of scanning lines Lx at a predetermined timing based on a scanning control signal supplied from a control circuit (not shown), and scans the scanning line Lx. A signal is output.

  A plurality of pixels 4 arranged in a matrix by being connected to the corresponding data line Ly, power supply line Lv, and scanning line Lx are formed at positions where the data line Ly and the scanning line Lx intersect. In the pixel 4, as shown in FIG. 1, a rectangular control element forming region 5 and a circular light emitting element forming region 6 are partitioned.

  Next, the configuration of the pixel 4 described above will be described below. FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view showing the layout of the pixels 4. FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the pixel 4 along the alternate long and short dash line AA in FIG. First, the configuration of the control element formation region 5 of the pixel 4 described above will be described below.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a control element formation region 5 is formed below each pixel 4, and a switching transistor T 1, a drive transistor T 2, and a holding capacitor Cs are provided in the control element formation region 5. It has been.

The switching transistor T1 is a polysilicon type thin film transistor (TFT), and includes a polysilicon channel film (first channel film B1) having a first channel region G1, a first source region S1, and a first drain region D1. I have. The first channel region G1, the first source region S1, and the first drain region D1 are electrically connected to the corresponding scan line Lx, data line Ly, and lower electrode Cp1 of the storage capacitor Cs, respectively.

  Like the switching transistor T1, the driving transistor T2 is a polysilicon type TFT, and a polysilicon channel film (second channel) having a second channel region G2, a second source region S2, and a second drain region D2. A membrane B2). The second channel region G2, the second source region S2, and the second drain region D2 are respectively the lower electrode Cp1 (the drain region D1 of the switching transistor T1) of the holding capacitor Cs, the upper electrode Cp2 of the holding capacitor Cs, and described later. It is electrically connected to the anode 11 in the light emitting element formation region 6.

  The holding capacitor Cs is a capacitor having an insulating film ILD (see FIG. 3) as a capacitive film between the lower electrode Cp1 and the upper electrode Cp2, and the upper electrode Cp2 is electrically connected to the corresponding power supply line Lv. Connected. An insulating film ILD (see FIG. 3) made of a silicon oxide film or the like is formed between and between the transistors T1, T2, the holding capacitor Cs, and the various wirings Lx, Ly, Lv, and this insulating film ILD. Thus, the layers and the lines are electrically insulated.

  When the scanning line driving circuit Dr2 inputs a scanning signal to the corresponding first channel region G1 via the sequential scanning line Lx (line sequential scanning), the selected switching transistor T1 is in the ON state only during the selection period. become. When the switching transistor T1 is turned on, the data signal output from the data line driving circuit Dr1 is supplied to the lower electrode Cp1 of the holding capacitor Cs via the corresponding data line Ly and the switching transistor T1. When the data signal is supplied to the lower electrode Cp1, the storage capacitor Cs accumulates charges corresponding to the data signal in the capacitance film. When the switching transistor T1 is turned off, a driving current relative to the charge accumulated in the holding capacitor Cs is supplied to the anode 11 in the light emitting element formation region 6 via the driving transistor T2.

Next, the configuration of the light emitting element formation region 6 of the pixel 4 will be described below.
As shown in FIG. 2, a light emitting element formation region 6 is formed above each pixel 4. As shown in FIG. 3, an anode 11 as a transparent electrode is formed in the light emitting element formation region 6 and on the insulating film ILD. The anode 11 is a transparent conductive film having optical transparency, and is formed of a lyophilic material such as ITO having lyophilicity (hydrophilicity) with respect to the droplet 20 described later. One end of the anode 11 is electrically connected to the second drain region D2 of the driving transistor T2 as described above.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a partition layer 12 that insulates each anode 11 from each other is formed on the upper layer of the anode 11. The partition layer 12 is an organic layer formed with a partition wall thickness Hb, and is formed of a liquid repellent material such as a fluorine-based resin that repels droplets 20 described later. The partition wall layer 12 is a so-called positive photosensitive material in which, when exposed to exposure light Lpr (see FIG. 8) having a predetermined wavelength, only the exposed portion is soluble in a developer such as an alkaline solution. Is formed. In the present embodiment, the partition wall thickness Hb is 2 μm.

In the partition layer 12 and at a substantially central position of the anode 11, an accommodation hole 13 that opens upward in a circular arc shape is formed. As shown in FIG. 2, the accommodation hole 13 is a hole formed in a circular shape when viewed in a plan view, and has an inner diameter on the anode 11 side that is a wetting width Wa. In addition, the accommodation holes 13 are provided so that the distance between other accommodation holes 13 adjacent in the row direction (the formation direction of the scanning line Lx) is the shortest distance, and the shortest distance is the partition wall width Wb. Has been. Then, by forming the accommodation hole 13 in the partition layer 12, the partition 14 surrounding the upper surface of the anode 11 is formed. Further, the upper surface of the anode 11 is surrounded by the partition wall 14, so that the landing surface 11 a is formed on the upper surface of the anode 11.

  Therefore, the inner diameter of the landing surface 11a is formed by the inner diameter of the accommodation hole 13 on the anode 11 side, that is, the wetting width Wa. Further, the partition wall 14 is formed with the thickness from the upper surface of the anode 11 equal to the thickness of the partition wall layer 12, that is, the partition wall thickness Hb, and the width on the anode 11 side is formed with the partition wall width Wb. That is, the partition wall 14 (landing surface 11a) has an arrangement pitch in the row direction that is a pitch width that is the sum of the wetting width Wa and the partition wall width Wb.

  In this embodiment, the wetting width Wa and the partition wall width Wb are 50 μm and 25 μm, respectively, and the arrangement pitch of the partition walls 14 (landing surface 11a) is 75 μm. Then, the upper side of the anode 11 is surrounded by the partition walls 14 and the landing surface 11a, whereby an organic electroluminescence layer forming region (organic EL layer forming region S) as a pattern forming region is formed.

  An organic electroluminescence layer (organic EL layer 15) as a pattern is formed in the organic EL layer forming region S and above the landing surface 11a. The organic EL layer 15 is an organic compound layer composed of two layers, a hole transport layer and a light emitting layer.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 4, the organic EL layer 15 forms droplets 20 containing an organic EL layer forming material as a pattern forming material in the organic EL layer forming region S, and dries the droplets 20. It is formed by solidifying.

  Therefore, when the volume of the droplet 20 formed in the organic EL layer formation region S is small, as shown by the solid line in FIG. 4, the droplet 20 does not spread over the entire landing surface 11a, and is one of the landing surfaces 11a. Part (for example, the center position of the landing surface 11a). On the contrary, when the volume of the droplet 20 is large, a part of the droplet 20 leaks from the partition wall 14 into another adjacent organic EL layer forming region S as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. . As a result, the film thickness and the like of the organic EL layer 15 vary, which causes a problem of uneven emission luminance of the organic EL layer 15.

  Then, the wetting and spreading of the droplet 20 and the leakage into the adjacent organic EL layer forming region S are caused by the contact angle of the droplet 20 with respect to the landing surface 11a (landing surface contact angle θa: see FIG. 5) and the droplet with respect to the partition wall 14. 20 largely depends on the contact angle (partition wall contact angle θb: see FIG. 6).

  For example, when the landing surface contact angle θa is small, the droplet 20 can be easily wetted and spread over the entire landing surface 11a by the small landing surface contact angle θa. Can be formed. In addition, when the partition wall contact angle θb is large, a large amount of droplets 20 can be accommodated in the organic EL layer forming region S by the amount that the partition wall contact angle θb is large.

  Therefore, the present inventors approximate the surface of the droplet 20 to a spherical surface, and based on the landing surface contact angle θa and the partition wall contact angle θb, the lower limit capacity of the droplet 20 that spreads over the entire landing surface 11a and the adjacent capacity. It has been found that the upper limit capacity of the droplet 20 that does not leak into the organic EL layer forming region S can be determined.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 5, when the outer periphery of the droplet 20 coincides with the outer edge of the landing surface 11a, the distance between the vertex of the droplet 20 and the landing surface 11a is obtained by approximating the surface of the droplet 20 to a spherical surface. The (minimum allowable droplet thickness Hmn) can be derived from the following equation using the wetting width Wa and the landing surface contact angle θa.

Hmn = Wa · {(1-cos θa) / sin θa}
Therefore, the lower limit capacity of the droplet 20 that can wet and spread over the entire landing surface 11a can be determined based on the minimum allowable droplet thickness Hmn (wetting width Wa and landing surface contact angle θa).

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 6, when the surface of the droplet 20 reaches the apex of the partition wall 14, if the surface of the droplet 20 is approximated to a spherical surface, the distance between the apex of the droplet 20 and the landing surface 11a ( The maximum allowable droplet thickness Hmx) can be derived from the following equation by the wetting width Wa, the partition wall width Wb, the partition wall thickness Hb, and the partition wall contact angle θb.

Hmx = (Wa + Wb). {(1-cos θb) / sin θb} + Hb
Accordingly, the upper limit capacity of the droplet 20 that does not leak into the adjacent organic EL layer forming region S is the maximum allowable droplet thickness Hmx (wetting width Wa, partition wall width Wb, partition wall thickness Hb, and partition wall contact angle θb). Can be determined based on

  In the present invention, the landing surface contact angle θa and the partition wall contact angle θb are measured in advance in a droplet forming step (step S13 in FIG. 7) described later, and the distance between the apex of the droplet 20 and the landing surface 11a. (Droplet thickness H: see FIG. 9) was set to be not more than the maximum allowable droplet thickness Hmx and not less than the minimum allowable droplet thickness Hmn. That is, the volume of the droplet 20 is set to be equal to or larger than the lower limit capacity and equal to or smaller than the upper limit capacity.

  Incidentally, the landing surface contact angle θa is 15 ° and the partition wall contact angle θb is set to the organic EL layer forming region S (the shape in which the partition wall thickness Hb, the wetting width Wa and the partition wall width Wb are 2 μm, 50 μm and 25 μm, respectively) in this embodiment. When the droplet 20 at 80 ° is ejected, the minimum allowable droplet thickness Hmn and the maximum allowable droplet thickness Hmx are 6.6 μm and 64.9 μm, respectively.

  The organic EL layer 15 in this embodiment is a light emitting layer that emits light of a corresponding color, that is, a red light emitting layer that emits red light, a green light emitting layer that emits green light, or a blue light that emits blue light. It has a light emitting layer.

  As shown in FIG. 3, on the upper side of the organic EL layer 15, a cathode 16 made of a metal film having light reflectivity such as aluminum is formed. The cathode 16 is formed so as to cover the entire surface of the element formation region 3 on the element formation surface 2 s side, and is shared by each pixel 4 to supply a common potential to each light emitting element formation region 6. In the present embodiment, the anode 11, the organic EL layer 15, and the cathode 16 constitute an organic electroluminescence element (organic EL element 17) as a light emitting element.

  On the upper side of the cathode 16 (organic EL element 17), an adhesive layer 18 made of an epoxy resin or the like is formed, and a sealing substrate 7 that covers the element formation region 3 is attached via the adhesive layer 18. The sealing substrate 7 is a non-alkali glass substrate and prevents oxidation of the organic EL elements 17 and various wirings Lx, Ly, Lv, Lvc and the like.

When a driving current corresponding to the data signal is supplied to the anode 11, the organic EL layer 15 emits light with a luminance corresponding to the driving current. At this time, light emitted from the organic EL layer 15 toward the cathode 16 (upper side in FIG. 4) is reflected by the cathode 16. Therefore, most of the light emitted from the organic EL layer 15 passes through the anode 11, the insulating film ILD, and the transparent substrate 2, and is emitted outward from the back surface (display surface 2t) side of the transparent substrate 2. Is done. That is, a full color image based on the data signal is displayed on the display surface 2 t of the organic EL display 1.
(Method for manufacturing organic EL display 1)
Next, the manufacturing method of the organic EL display 1 will be described below. FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a method for manufacturing the organic EL display 1, and FIGS. 8 and 9 are explanatory diagrams illustrating a method for manufacturing the organic EL display 1.

  As shown in FIG. 7, first, as the organic EL layer pre-process, each transistor T1, T2, various wirings Lx, Ly, Lv, Lvc, and insulating film ILD are formed on the element formation surface 2s of the transparent substrate 2 by a known manufacturing technique. (Step S11).

  As shown in FIG. 7, when the organic EL layer pre-process is completed, a partition formation process for forming the anode 11 and the partition 14 on the insulating film ILD is subsequently performed (step S12). That is, a transparent conductive film having optical transparency, such as ITO, is deposited on the entire upper surface of the insulating film ILD, and the transparent conductive film is patterned as shown in FIG. 8, thereby forming the second drain region D2 (FIG. 2). The anode 11 is formed so as to be electrically connected to the reference). When the anode 11 is formed, a photosensitive polyimide resin or the like is applied to the entire upper surface of the anode 11 and the insulating film ILD to form a partition layer 12 having a thickness of the partition wall thickness Hb. Then, exposure light Lpr having a predetermined wavelength is exposed to the partition wall layer 12 at a position facing the anode 11 through the mask Mk, and the partition hole 12 is developed to pattern the accommodation hole 13.

  As a result, the partition wall 14 is formed in which the thickness from the upper surface of the anode 11 is the partition wall thickness Hb and the width on the anode 11 side is the partition wall width Wb. Then, a landing surface 11a surrounded by the partition wall 14 and having an inner diameter of the wetting width Wa is defined on the upper surface of the anode 11, and an organic EL layer forming region S surrounded by the partition wall 14 and the landing surface 11a is formed.

  As shown in FIG. 7, when the partition 14 is formed (step S12), the organic EL layer 15 is formed by forming the droplet 20 containing the organic EL layer forming material in the organic EL layer forming region S. A layer forming process is performed (step S13). FIG. 9 is an explanatory view illustrating the organic EL layer forming step.

  First, the configuration of a droplet discharge device that discharges the droplet 20 will be described below. As shown in FIG. 9, the droplet discharge head 25 constituting the droplet discharge apparatus in this embodiment is provided with a nozzle plate 26. On the lower surface (nozzle formation surface 26a) of the nozzle plate 26, a large number of nozzles 26n for discharging the functional liquid L in which the organic EL layer forming material is dissolved are formed upward. A functional liquid supply chamber 27 is formed above each nozzle 26n so as to communicate with a functional liquid tank (not shown) so that the functional liquid L can be supplied into the nozzle 26n. Above each functional liquid supply chamber 27, a vibration plate 28 that reciprocates in the vertical direction and expands or contracts the volume in the functional liquid supply chamber 27 is disposed. Piezoelectric elements 29 that extend in the vertical direction and vibrate the vibration plate 28 are disposed above the vibration plate 28 and at positions opposite to the functional liquid supply chambers 27.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the transparent substrate 2 transported to the droplet discharge device has the element forming surface 2s parallel to the nozzle forming surface 26a and the center position of each landing surface 11a directly below the nozzle 26n. Is positioned and positioned.

Here, when a drive signal for forming the droplet 20 is input to the droplet discharge head 25, the piezoelectric element 29 expands and contracts based on the drive signal, and the volume of the functional liquid supply chamber 27 expands and contracts. At this time, when the volume of the functional liquid supply chamber 27 is reduced, an amount of the functional liquid L corresponding to the reduced volume is discharged from each nozzle 26n as the minute lower layer liquid droplet Ds. The discharged minute lower layer droplets Ds land on the corresponding landing surfaces 11a. Subsequently, when the volume of the functional liquid supply chamber 27 is expanded, the functional liquid L corresponding to the expanded volume is supplied into the functional liquid supply chamber 27 from a functional liquid tank (not shown). That is, the droplet discharge head 25 discharges the functional liquid L having a predetermined capacity toward the corresponding organic EL layer forming region S by the enlargement / reduction of the functional liquid supply chamber 27.

  At this time, the droplet discharge head 25 has a distance between the apex of the droplet 20 and the landing surface 11a (target droplet as a discharge capacity) based on the landing surface contact angle θa and the partition wall contact angle θb measured in advance. A volume (target volume) is set such that the thickness H (see FIG. 9) is equal to or smaller than the above-described maximum allowable droplet thickness Hmx and equal to or greater than the minimum allowable droplet thickness Hmn. That is, the volume of the droplet 20 is set to a volume (target volume) that is not less than the above-described lower limit volume and not more than the upper limit volume. Accordingly, it is possible to avoid insufficient wetting and spreading of the droplets 20 and leakage into the adjacent organic EL layer forming region S, and the droplets 20 having the same capacity (target capacity) are placed in each organic EL layer forming region S. Can be formed.

  When the droplet 20 is formed, the transparent substrate 2 (droplet 20) is placed under a predetermined reduced pressure, and the organic EL layer 15 is formed by evaporating the solvent component of the droplet 20. As a result, the organic EL layer 15 having a uniform shape can be formed by the amount that uniformly spreads over the entire landing surface 11a and the amount that does not leak out to the adjacent organic EL layer formation region S.

  As shown in FIG. 7, when the organic EL layer 15 is formed (step S13), a cathode 16 is formed on the organic EL layer 15 and the partition wall layer 12, and an organic EL layer post-process for sealing the pixel 4 is performed (step S13). 14). That is, the cathode 16 made of a metal film such as aluminum is deposited on the entire upper surface of the organic EL layer 15 and the partition wall layer 12 to form the organic EL element 17 made up of the anode 11, the organic EL layer 15, and the cathode 16. When the organic EL element 17 is formed, an epoxy resin or the like is applied to the entire upper surface of the cathode 16 (pixel 4) to form an adhesive layer 18, and the sealing substrate 7 is attached to the transparent substrate 2 through the adhesive layer 18. To do.

Thereby, the organic EL display 1 in which the shape of the organic EL layer 15 is uniform can be manufactured.
Next, effects of the present embodiment configured as described above will be described below.

  (1) According to the above embodiment, the surface of the droplet 20 is approximated to a spherical surface, and the thickness of the droplet 20 from the landing surface 11a when the outer periphery of the droplet 20 coincides with the outer edge of the landing surface 11a ( The minimum allowable droplet thickness Hmn) was derived from the shape of the organic EL layer formation region S (wetting width Wa) and the landing surface contact angle θa. Then, based on the minimum allowable droplet thickness Hmn, the lower limit capacity to be ejected into the organic EL layer forming region S is determined, and the capacity (target capacity) of the droplet 20 to be ejected into the organic EL layer forming region S is determined as follows: It was set to exceed the lower limit capacity.

  Therefore, according to the wettability of the droplet 20 with respect to the landing surface 11a, the discharged droplet 20 can be spread over the entire wet width Wa, and the organic EL layer 15 having a uniform shape can be formed. As a result, the productivity of the organic EL display 1 can be improved.

  (2) According to the above embodiment, the surface of the droplet 20 is approximated to a spherical surface, and the thickness of the droplet 20 from the landing surface 11a when the surface of the droplet 20 reaches the apex of the partition wall 14 (maximum The allowable droplet thickness Hmx) was derived from the shape of the organic EL layer formation region S (wetting width Wa, partition wall width Wb, and partition wall thickness Hb) and partition wall contact angle θb. Then, based on the maximum allowable droplet thickness Hmx, the upper limit capacity of the droplet 20 to be discharged into the organic EL layer forming region S is determined, and the capacity (target) of the droplet 20 to be discharged into the organic EL layer forming region S is determined. (Capacity) was set below the upper limit capacity.

Accordingly, according to the wettability of the droplet 20 with respect to the partition wall 14, leakage of the droplet 20 into the adjacent organic EL layer forming region S can be avoided, and the liquid formed in each organic EL layer forming region S The volume (target volume) of the droplet 20 can be made uniform. As a result, the organic EL layer 15 having a uniform shape can be formed, and the productivity of the organic EL display 1 can be improved.

  (3) According to the above embodiment, the accommodation hole 13 is formed in a circular hole shape, and the wetting width Wa is set to the inner diameter of the accommodation hole 13 on the landing surface 11a side. The lower limit capacity is determined based on the wetting width Wa. Accordingly, the discharged droplets 20 can be wetted and spread over the entire landing surface 11a, and the organic EL layer 15 having a uniform shape can be formed.

  (4) According to the above embodiment, lyophilicity and liquid repellency are imparted to the landing surface 11a and the partition wall 14, respectively. Therefore, the wettability of the droplet 20 with respect to the landing surface 11a can be improved, and the capacity of storing the droplet 20 in the organic EL layer forming region S can be improved. Moreover, in order to determine the volume (target volume) of the droplet 20 according to the contact angle of the droplet with respect to the landing surface 11a and the partition wall 14, a droplet 20 having a volume suitable for the organic EL layer forming region S is discharged. The organic EL layer 15 having a more uniform shape can be formed.

In addition, you may change the said embodiment as follows.
In the above embodiment, the surface of the droplet 20 is approximated to a spherical surface, the minimum allowable droplet thickness Hmn is Wa · {(1-cos θa) / sin θa}, and the maximum allowable droplet thickness Hmx is (Wa + Wb) · { (1-cos θb) / sin θb} + Hb. For example, the surface of the droplet 20 may be approximated as an aspheric surface, and the minimum allowable droplet thickness Hmn and the maximum allowable droplet thickness Hmx are the wetting width Wa, partition wall width Wb, partition wall thickness Hb. Any material that can be derived based on the landing surface contact angle θa and the partition wall contact angle θb may be used.
In the above embodiment, the pattern, the pattern formation surface, and the pattern formation region are embodied in the organic EL layer 15, the landing surface 11a, and the organic EL layer formation region S, respectively, and the droplet 20 containing the organic EL layer formation material is applied to the organic EL layer. The organic EL display 1 is manufactured by forming in the formation region S.

  Not limited to this, for example, by embodying the pattern and the pattern forming surface on one side of the colored color filter layer and the transparent substrate 2 respectively, and forming the partition wall 14 for forming the color filter layer on the one side, The pattern formation region may be configured as a color filter layer formation region. The color filter may be manufactured by forming the droplet 20 containing the color filter layer forming material in the color filter layer forming region.

That is, a pattern forming method for forming a pattern by forming a droplet including a pattern forming material in a pattern forming region surrounded by a partition wall on a pattern forming surface, wherein the droplet landing surface contact angle θa and partition wall contact angle θb are Any method may be used as long as it determines the volume (target volume) of the droplet.
In the above embodiment, the accommodation hole 13 is embodied as a circular hole. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, as illustrated in FIG.

At this time, by setting the wetting width Wa to the short axis direction of the organic EL element 17, the droplet 20 can be spread over at least the entire width in the short axis direction. Then, by forming a plurality of droplets 20 along the long axis direction, the organic EL layer 15 having a uniform shape can be formed on the entire landing surface 11a. That is, it is preferable to select the setting direction of the wetting width Wa and the partition wall width Wb based on the formation direction (for example, the long axis direction) in which the droplets 20 are formed.
In the above embodiment, the partition wall 14 is formed in a circular arc shape in cross section, but is not limited thereto, and may be formed in a trapezoidal cross section shape as shown in FIG.

At this time, in order to determine the upper limit capacity, the inner diameter Wc on the upper side (opposite side of the anode 11) of the accommodation hole 13 is preferably formed to a predetermined value as in the case of the wet width Wa. Thereby, a more accurate upper limit capacity can be determined, and the uniformity of the shape of the pattern (organic EL layer 15) can be further improved.
In the above embodiment, the partition wall 14 is formed by the partition wall layer 12 alone. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a lyophilic layer having lyophilicity with respect to the droplet 20 is formed on the anode 11 side. A partition layer 12 having two layers may be formed by forming a liquid repellent layer having liquid repellency to the droplets 20 on the liquid layer.

According to this, the droplet 20 can be spread and spread on the landing surface 11 a side (lower side) of the partition wall 14, and the droplet 20 can be repelled on the upper side of the partition wall 14. Therefore, the wettability with respect to the landing surface 11a can be improved, and the leakage of the droplets 20 can be surely avoided.
In the above embodiment, the control element formation region 5 includes the switching transistor T1 and the driving transistor T2. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and depending on the desired element design, for example, one transistor or many transistors You may make it the structure which consists of a transistor or many capacitors.
In the above-described embodiment, the micro lower layer droplet Ds is ejected by the piezoelectric element 29. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a resistance heating element is provided in the functional liquid supply chamber 27, and the resistance heating element The minute lower layer droplets Ds may be ejected by bursting bubbles formed by heating.
In the above embodiment, the electro-optical device is embodied as the organic EL display 1, but is not limited thereto, and may be, for example, a liquid crystal panel or the like, or provided with a planar electron-emitting device. It may be a field effect display (FED, SED, etc.) using light emission of a fluorescent material by electrons emitted from the element.

1 is a schematic plan view showing an organic EL display embodying the present invention. Similarly, the schematic plan view which shows a pixel. Similarly, the schematic sectional drawing which shows a light emitting element formation area. Similarly, the schematic sectional drawing explaining a light emitting element formation area. Similarly, the schematic sectional drawing explaining a light emitting element formation area. Similarly, the schematic sectional drawing explaining a light emitting element formation area. Similarly, the flowchart explaining the manufacturing process of an electro-optical apparatus. Similarly, the explanatory view explaining the manufacturing process of the electro-optical device. Similarly, the explanatory view explaining the manufacturing process of the electro-optical device. Explanatory drawing explaining the light emitting element formation area in the example of a change. Sectional drawing of the light emitting element formation area in the example of a change.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Organic EL display as an electro-optical device, 2 ... Transparent substrate, 2s ... Element formation surface as a pattern formation surface, 14 ... Partition wall, 15 ... Organic electroluminescence layer as a pattern, 17 ... Organic electroluminescence as a light emitting element Luminescence element, droplets ... 20, S ... organic EL layer formation region as pattern formation region, Wa ... wetting width, Wb ... partition wall width.

Claims (12)

In the pattern forming method, a partition for forming a pattern is formed on the pattern forming surface, and a pattern is formed by discharging droplets containing a pattern forming material to a pattern forming region surrounded by the partition.
The lower limit capacity of the droplet is determined based on the width in one direction of the pattern formation region and the contact angle of the droplet with respect to the pattern formation surface, and the volume of the droplet discharged to the pattern formation region is greater than or equal to the lower limit capacity A pattern forming method characterized in that: In the pattern formation method of Claim 1,
When the width in one direction of the pattern formation region is Wa and the contact angle of the droplet with respect to the pattern formation surface is θa,
The distance between the apex of the droplets discharged to the pattern formation region and the pattern formation surface,
A pattern forming method, wherein the volume of the droplets to be Wa · {(1-cos θa) / sin θa} is set to the lower limit capacity. In the pattern formation method of Claim 1 or 2,
A pattern forming method, wherein a lyophilic property of lyophilic the droplets is imparted to the pattern forming surface. In the pattern forming method, a partition for forming a pattern is formed on the pattern forming surface, and a pattern is formed by discharging droplets containing a pattern forming material to a pattern forming region surrounded by the partition.
The upper limit capacity of the droplet is the width in one direction of the pattern formation region, the width in one direction of the partition, the distance between the apex of the partition and the pattern formation surface, and the contact angle of the droplet with respect to the partition The pattern forming method is characterized in that the volume of droplets discharged to the pattern forming region is set to be equal to or less than the upper limit capacity. In the pattern formation method of Claim 4,
When the width in one direction of the pattern formation region is Wa, the width in one direction of the partition is Wb, the thickness of the partition from the pattern formation surface is Hb, and the contact angle of the droplet with respect to the partition is θb. ,
The distance between the apex of the droplets discharged to the pattern formation region and the pattern formation surface,
The pattern forming method, wherein the volume of the droplets to be (Wa + Wb) · {(1−cos θb) / sin θb} + Hb is set to the upper limit capacity. In the pattern formation method of Claim 4 or 5,
A pattern forming method characterized by imparting liquid repellency for liquid repellency to the partition wall. In the pattern forming method, a partition for forming a pattern is formed on the pattern forming surface, and a pattern is formed by discharging droplets containing a pattern forming material to a pattern forming region surrounded by the partition.
A lower limit capacity of the droplet is determined based on a width in one direction of the pattern formation region and a contact angle of the droplet with respect to the pattern formation surface, and an upper limit capacity of the droplet is determined in a direction in one direction of the pattern formation region. A droplet that is determined based on a width of the partition in one direction, a distance between the apex of the partition and the pattern formation surface, and a contact angle of the droplet with respect to the partition, and is ejected to the pattern formation region The pattern forming method is characterized in that the capacity is set to be not less than the lower limit capacity and not more than the upper limit capacity. In the pattern forming method, a partition for forming a pattern is formed on the pattern forming surface, and a pattern is formed by discharging droplets containing a pattern forming material to a pattern forming region surrounded by the partition.
The width of the pattern formation region in one direction is Wa, the width of the partition in one direction is Wb, the thickness of the partition from the pattern formation surface is Hb, the contact angle of the droplet with respect to the partition is θb, When the distance between the apex of the droplets discharged to the pattern formation region and the pattern formation surface is H,
It is characterized in that a droplet having a capacity satisfying Wa · {(1-cos θa) / sin θa} ≦ H ≦ (Wa + Wb) · {(1-cos θb) / sin θb} + Hb is discharged to the pattern formation region. Pattern forming method. In the method for producing a color filter in which a color filter layer is formed on a transparent substrate,
A method for producing a color filter, wherein a color filter layer is formed by the pattern forming method according to claim 1. A color filter manufactured by the method for manufacturing a color filter according to claim 9. In a method for manufacturing an electro-optical device in which a light emitting element is formed on a transparent substrate,
9. A method of manufacturing an electro-optical device, wherein the light-emitting element is formed by the pattern forming method according to claim 1. An electro-optical device manufactured by the method for manufacturing an electro-optical device according to claim 11.

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